Meliponiculture is the rational farming of stingless bees, or meliponines (Meliponini tribe), which is different from apiculture (the breeding of bees of the Apis mellifera species; western honey bee or European honey bee; Apini tribe). In meliponiculture, the hives can be organized in meliponary, places with suitable conditions of temperature, solar orientation, humidity, and food supply (flowers and resins).
The objectives of meliponiculture are to produce and sell hives (or parts of them), honey, pollen, resins, propolis, wax, and other substrates such as attractants and trap nests; in addition to the ecosystem service of pollination itself, since bees are one of the main agents of pollination and the maintenance of biodiversity. Furthermore, the activity may not provide saleable products but simply aim to protect species from extinction. Finally, it is also possible to use meliponines colonies to educate children about the environment, since most of these insects do not behave aggressively or harm human beings.
Indigenous peoples and traditional communities already raised stingless bees and used their honey for various health treatments (such as cataracts), for food and subsistence.LAGES FILHO, J. A Medicina Popular em Alagoas. Separata dos Arquivos do Instituto Nina Rodrigues. 1934. Meliponiculture has long been practiced by the native peoples of Latin America, especially those of Brazil and Mexico.
Currently, there is a trend towards technification and the growth of scientific knowledge related to the breeding and management of stingless bees, as it is an activity that generates products with high added value and is related to the preservation of natural environments.
Sustainable activity
In Brazil there are approximately 56% species of stingless bees out of the 462 that have been described in the world (some studies indicate 552 species), many of which have specific characteristics and are suitable for sustainable agro-ecological development, such as the yellow jataí (Tetragonisca angustula). Even though some species have no zootechnical agronomic value, the breeding of these hives is also part of meliponiculture, in a more recreational and conservationist way.
Meliponiculture is economically, environmentally, and socially important in the various niches and regions where bees occur, as it does not require intensive care or high investment in the creation of a meliponary. The activity can even be carried out by beekeepers of all ages, including children and the elderly. In addition, stingless bees can be kept in residential areas, as many species do not present any risk of accidents.
Honey produced by native bees - which is considered healthier due to its lower sugar content, higher acidity, and greater humidity compared to Apis honey - has become highly coveted, reaching prices ranging from R$80 to R$300 per liter. The demand for this honey is driven by its superior quality, attributed to native bee hives, which generally gather fewer individuals and produce lower quantities compared to the more common European honey bee colonies. While the latter can house between 60,000 and 120,000 insects, native Brazilian bees form swarms of no more than 5,000 individuals. Thus, the more limited production results in an exclusive and valued offer, with quantities ranging from 100 ml to three or four liters of honey being obtained from a single hive.
Relationship with native peoples Knowledge about these bees and meliponiculture in the Americas dates back to ancient times. In several Latin American countries, except for Chile, there is evidence of the relationship between native peoples and these insects, both through extractive exploitation and rudimentary breeding techniques.
In Central America, descendants of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations maintain a significant relationship with stingless bees, going beyond food use. Some species play important roles in the cosmology and traditional medicine of these cultures, and native bees were domesticated by pre-Columbian peoples, with traditional breeding practices still in use.
In Brazil, contrary to reports of traditional beekeeping in other countries, the practice was practically non-existent. Except for semi-domestication practices documented in the Gorotire village, where the Kayapó extracted honey without harming the bees, extractive and predatory exploitation were common. Before the introduction of the A. mellifera bee and the expansion of sugar production, honey from native bees played a crucial role as the main natural sweetener for indigenous peoples, providing energy on their journeys to hunt and search for food.
Main Brazilian species
All species of meliponas are eusocial, i.e. they have a work structure divided into castes, where the workers (female bees) carry out most of the activities to support the swarm, such as building and maintaining the brood discs/bunches, collecting and processing food, cleaning and protecting the colony and caring for the young. The queen is responsible for laying the eggs. The males are responsible for fertilizing the princesses (virgin queens) and secondary tasks within the colony.
In Brazil, there are approximately 259 species of stingless bees (studies suggest between 462 and 550 worldwide). Most of this biodiversity is found in the North, which is home to 197 species. The Central-West and Northeast regions have 99 and 97 species respectively. The best known and most managed species are listed below. Common names (in Portuguese or Indigenous languages)Scientific namesScaptotrigonasCanudoScaptotrigona depilisBenjoi, benjoinScaptotrigona polystictaMandaguari-pretaScaptotrigona posticaMandaguari-amarelaScaptotrigona xanthotrichaMeliponasGuarupu, guaraipoMelipona bicolorJandaíraMelipona subnitidaManduriMelipona marginataManduri-preta, uruçu, uruçu-boiMelipona fuliginosaMandaçaia (2 species)Melipona quadrifasciata Melipona mandacaiaMandaçaia-de-buraco, mandaçaia-da-terra, uruçu-do-chãoMelipona quinquefasciataTiúbaMelipona compressipesUruçu-nordestina, uruçu-verdadeiraMelipona scutellarisUruçu-amarela (3 species)Melipona flavolineata Melipona rufiventris
Melipona monduryUruçu-boca-de-rendaMelipona seminigraUruçu-preta, uruçu-negraMelipona capixabaPlebeiasMirim-drorianaPlebeia droryanaMosquitoPlebeia minimaMirim-guaçúPlebeia remotaFrieseomelittasMarmeladaFrieseomelitta variaMocinha-pretaFrieseomelitta languidaOthersJataí-amarelaTetragonisca angustulaIraíNannotrigona testaceicornisBoráTetragona clavipes
Notable species Some other species, although not commonly bred by meliponiculturists, are well known and interact in different ways with meliponaries and agricultural environments. Common namesScientific namesBoca-de-sapoPartamona helleriTataíra, caga-fogoOxytrigona tatairaSanharãoTrigona truculentaArapuáTrigona spinipesLimão, sete-portasLestrimelitta limao
Brazilian endangered species
According to ICMBio, in 2018 there were four species of meliponine classified as "endangered" (EN) in Brazil. +Red Book of Endangered Brazilian Species 2018ICMBio. 2018. Livro Vermelho da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçada de Extinção: Volume VII - Invertebrados. In: ICMBio. (Org.). Livro Vermelho da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçada de Extinção. Brasília: ICMBio. 727p.Common namesScientific namesOccurrenceJ. M. F. Camargo, S. R. M. Pedro & G. A. R. Melo, 2023. Meliponini Lepeletier, 1836. In Moure, J. S., Urban, D. & Melo, G. A. R. (Orgs). Catalogue of Bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in the Neotropical Region - versão on-line. Retrieved on December 09, 2023.StatusUruçu-amarelaMelipona rufventrisGO, MS, MG, SPENUruçu-amarelaMelipona scutellarisAL, BA, CE, PB, PE, RN, SEENUruçu-capixabaMelipona capixabaESENPartamona littoralisPB, RNEN
Colony capture In 2004, the National Environment Council (CONAMA) published a resolution highlighting the importance of native wild bees to the Brazilian ecosystem. These bees, their nests, and breeding grounds are considered common goods, as provided for in the Federal Constitution of Brazil. The document recognizes the economic relevance of local and regional meliponiculture, as well as the importance of bees in the stability of ecosystems and the sustainability of agriculture. It also highlights Brazil's commitment to the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators, as agreed in the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Making trap nests
Resolution 346/2004 allows swarms to be captured from the wild using trap nests or methods that are not destructive to the environment. This means that the extraction and exploitation of natural beehives are prohibited, except in the case of licensed undertakings that incur the deforestation of the area.
Nogueira-Neto has a section in his book (English: Life and Breeding of Indigenous Stingless Bees) that provides information on the removal of natural nests. This section should be interpreted, especially after the CONAMA legislation, as a tutorial for cases of rescuing colonies from trees or structures that are to be removed. The practice of removing natural nests for rational breeding without any reason that endangers the target colony is not permitted under Brazilian law.
Trap nests are containers, boxes, hives, or objects that have the purpose of capturing a bee colony that is naturally swarming (the process of the mother colony duplicating itself, resulting in a daughter colony in a newly available location). Suggestions for materials and tutorials for making these devices can be found in books, such as the (English: Technological Manual for the Integral Use of the Products of Native Stingless Bees), or on YouTube channels specialized in meliponiculture.
Trap nests can be made in a variety of ways, but in general, meliponiculturists usually use the following materials and techniques. ObjectiveMaterials usedColony spacePET bottles, wooden boxes, bamboo stalks, gallons, etc.Thermal insulationCardboard, newspaper, paper, fabric, etc.Light insulationBlack plastic, garbage bags, etc.Attractive smellAttractive liquidInlet holeSimple holes, plumbing "elbows", bamboo pipes, etc.Closing and assemblyScissors, seals, adhesive tape, styluses.
The most common trap nests are made with 1.5 to 5 liter PET bottles soaked inside with an attractive liquid (propolis, resins, geopropolis, and cerumen diluted in alcohol) and wrapped with cardboard or newspaper and black plastic, imitating the hollow interior of trees. To produce the attractive liquid, the beekeeper usually lets the product dissolve for a few weeks, shaking it daily.
Installation sites Trap nests should be installed in places where the bee species one wants to catch occurs. It is preferable to place baits during the peak swarming period, which varies according to the region. Sites commonly used for installation have good shading from 10 am on and accessibility.
The relationship between the mother nest and the offspring nest usually ends when the first young are born. Between 30 and 90 days after the swarm is installed in the trap nest, it should be moved to the final location/meliponary and then transferred to a rational hive (usually wooden boxes), which should be more than 300 meters from the capture site.
The bees should be transported at night, when the workers have not left the hive to forage, or during the day with the entrance to the colony previously closed at night.
Colony multiplication The biology of many Meliponini species allows their nests to be divided in order to multiply the swarms in the meliponary. The best time to split colonies is during the same period as natural swarming, i.e. when the food supply is increasing. The methods are varied and can involve one or more strong swarms to create a second or third. Care must always be taken when handling the brood disks/bunches, the queen, and the food pots, as they are very fragile. The procedure should be carried out on sunny, windless days.